Cotton feeding, separating, and cleaning machine



HTToeA/Y April 28, 1931- J. E. MITCHELL COTTON FEEDING, SEPARATING, AND CLEANING MACHINE Filed May lO, 1930 Patented Apr. 28, 1931 JOHN E. MITCHELL,

0F DALLAS, TEXAS COTTON FEEDING, SEPBLTING, AND CLEANNG MACHINE Application led May l0,

This invention relates to improvements in the cotton feeding, separating and cleaning machine forming the subject matter of an application for patent of Orville Mitchell iiled May 10, 1930, and in which application the present invention is illustrated and b'iefly described.

The general object of the invention is to combine with a machine of the type referred to, i. e., one having multiple cotton separating units, iinishing cotton cleaning mechanism comprising a cleaning cylinder rotating in proximity to the surface of a screen partially surrounding said cylinder.

The dominant feature of the invention consists in a dofiing cylinder which is positioned to function in cooperation with the saw cylinder of the second, or final, saw cylinder of the main machine and with the cleaning cylinder of the cleaning mechanism, and which operates to remove the cotton from said saw cylinder, to discharge the same onto, or into the Zone of action of, the cleaning cylinder, and then to receive the cleaned cotton from the cleaning cylinder and discharge it from the machine.

The combination of a finishing cleaner cylinder with a machine of the character described is rendered possible by the fact, that in such a machine, the use of a hull board for the second saw cylinder is dispensed with, and in lieu thereof, the mixed cotton, hulls and trash passing by the second saw cylinder are directed back to the main saw cylinder, and after being acted on thereby, and` by its cooperating reclaiming saw cylinder, which together operate to remove practically all of the remaining cotton from the discharged product, the hulls and trash are discharged throughan opening defined by the lower end of a hull board associated with the reclaiming saw cylinder.

By eliminating the hull board for the second saw cylinder and the necessary hull and trash discharge, a great saving in space is effected,which l am enabled to utilize for the purpose of installing a iinishing cleaner cylinder in the casing of the main machine, and without enlarging the size of the machine as a whole, so that the combined ma- SO. Serial No. 451,273.

chine will be of a size to enable it to be installed on an ordinary gin stand.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which the iigure is a longitudinal sectional view of a combined cotton feeding1 separating and cleaning machine, the cleaning 5 mechanism, or, more properly, the iinishing cleaning mechanism, illustrated therein, constituting my invention in its association with the second saw cylinder of the main machine.

As theA main part of the machine is fully described in the application of Orville MitchelliV above referred to, I shall only describe such parts herein to the extent necessary to enable the connection of my invention therewith to be understood.

Referring now to the drawing, the numeral 1 indicates the casing of the machine, in the side walls of which are suitably journaled the shafts of the various rotating members hereinafter described. As the manner of mounting such members is well known, and as the driving mechanism for rotating the same is of conventional type, I have simply shown in section the shafts of the various rotating members, and indicated by arrows the direction of their rotation.

The casing 1 is provided with a feed opening 2 n its upper end, and mounted below this opening are feed rollers 3. Below the latter is a breaker cylinder t which rotates in proximity to ay Vscreen 5 mounted in the rear of the casing. Located below the screen 5 is `a hull board 6, the lower end of which deiines the size of an opening 7 past a main saw cylinder S. Mounted below the saw cylinder 8 is a reclaiming saw cylinder 9, with which cooperate lbrushes 10 and 11. The main saw cylinder 8 is of relatively large' size, and has cooperating therei v1ith a kicker roller 12 and a dotiing cylinder 18. The main saw cylinder 8 and the parts associated therewith constitute the first of two cotton separating units.

The second cotton separating unit comprises a saw cylinder 14:, ofr smaller diameter than the main saw cylinder 8, and which has cooperating therewith a kicker roller 15 and a doiing cylinder 16. The saw cylinder 14 is sopositioned that the product removed from the main saw cylinder 8 by the dofng cylinder 13 will be thrown by the latter directly onto its surface. It is further positioned at such distance from the main saw cylinder S as to provide a free, open space 1T through which hulls and trash knocked back by the kicker roller 15, and small locks of cotton not engaged by the teeth of saw cylinder 14, may be freely discharged. rThe numeral 18 indicates a defiecting board for directing the product rejected by the kicker roller 15 and falling t irough the space 17 past the main saw cylinner 8, which removes therefrom a portion of the cotton. VThe numeral 19 indicates a hull board, which directs the remainder of the discharged product not removed by saw cylinder 8 onto reclaiming saw cylinder 9. The latter practically recovers all of the remaining cotton and delivers it to saw cylinder 8. The lower end of hull board 19 defines the size of an opening 2O past the reclaiming saw cylinder 9 for the escape of hulls and trash.

Referring now to that part of the machine illustrated which embodies my invention, the miniera]L 21 indicates a cleaning cylinder which is housed at its lowervport-ion by a screen 22. The cylinder 2l is provided with longitudinal bars 23, each of which carries a row of pins or spikes 2%. These spikes agitate the cotton while carrying it over the screen 22 while the trash falls through the screen into a conveyor 25 located below the screen whence it is discharged from the machine.

As stated, a leading feature of my invention is the utilization of the dofiing cylinder 16 in connection with the cleaning cylinder 21 in such a way as to greatly improve the effectiveness of the machine without enlarging it. The upper half of the doliing cylinder, rotating in the direction shown by the arrow, serves to remove or doff the cotton from the saw cylinder 14 and to deliver it to the cleaning cylinder 21 beneath, While the lower portion of thedofhng cylinder receives the cotton back from the cleaning cylinder and delivers same from the machine through an outlet 26. Thus the doffing cylinder 16 is an element common to the second separating unit and to the nishing cleaner mechanism of my invention. This arrange- 'inent not only greatly simplifies the construction, but effects a considerable reduction in size, which is important, since these machines must be located on gin stands within a very limited space provided between the gin stands and the cotton distributing mechanism above the feeders 3.

I claim:

1. In a cotton feeding, separating and cleaning machine having a plurality of cotton separating units, and means for returning the product rejected by and discharged from the final unit back to the first unit, a finishing cleaner located below the final separating unit, and means common to the latter and said cleaner and operating to remove cotton from the separating unit, deliver same to the cleaner, receive the cleaned cotton from the cleaner and discharge same from the machine.

2. In a cotton feeding, separating and cleaning machine having a plurality of cotton separating units, each of which includes a saw cylinder, a finishing cleaner' located below the final separating unit, and a doffing cylinder common to the saw cylinder of the final unit ano said cleaner and operating in its upper portion to deff cotton from said saw cylinder and deliver it to the cleaner and in its lower portion to receive ythe cotton from the cleaner and discharge it from the machine.

3. In a cotton feeding, separating and cleaning machine having a plurality of cotton separatag units, each of which includes a saw cylinder, finishing cleaner located below the final separating unitV and comprising a screen and a cleaning cylinder rotating in proximity thereto, and a doing cylinder common to the final separating unit and said cleaner and operating in its upper part to deff' cotton from said saw cylinder and deliver same to said cleaning cylinder, and in its lower part to receive the cleaned cotton from said cleaning cylinder and discharge same from the machine.

4. In a cotton feeding, separating and cleaning machine having a plurality of cotton separating units, each of which includes a saw cylinder, a finishing cleaner located below the final separating unit, the saw cylinder of which latter is positioned to carry cotton into the confines of said cleaner, and a dofling cylinder common to said latter saw cylinder and said cleaner and operating in its upper part to continuously remove cotton from said saw cylinder, and discharge the same into said cleaner, and in its lower part to receive the cleaned cotton from the cleaner and discharge it from the machine.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

JOI-IN E. MITCHELL. 

